THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

John: Believing On The Christ, The Son Of God, For Eternal Life

Part XXXVIII: Trusting In Christ For His Gracious Edification of True Believers, John 14-17

A. Trusting In Christ For His Gracious Promise Of Heaven's Eternal Bliss For True Believers

(John 14:1-6)

I. Introduction

A. One of the greatest concerns a believer can have is the dread that he will be so negatively impacted by sin around him or even from within himself in this life that God will decide not to let him enter or stay in heaven.

B. However, John 14:1-6 reveals Christ's rich John 1:16 grace in His utterly offsetting such a fear for believers:

II. Trusting In Christ For His Gracious Promise Of Heaven's Eternal Bliss For True Believers, John 14:1-6.

A. Jesus' John 14:1a call to "stop letting your heart be stirred up, disturbed" (me subjunctive negative adverb with the verb, tarasso in the present tense, imperative mood and passive voice [U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 386; Arndt & Gingrich, A Grk.-Eng. Lex. of the N. T., 1967, p. 812-813; The Analyt. Grk. Lex. (Zond.), 1972, p. 398; Dana & Mantey, A Man. Gram. of the Grk. N. T., 1957, p. 301-302]) directs us to the preceding context.

B. There are no chapter breaks in the autograph manuscripts, and applied to John 13:38 with 14:1, we note "(t)he disciples" had recently been "completely bewildered and discouraged. Jesus had said He was going away (7:34; 8:21; 12:8, 35; 13:33), that he would die (12:32-33), that one of the Twelve was a traitor (13:21), that Peter would disown Him three times (13:38), that Satan was at work against all of them (Luke 22:31-32), and that all the disciples would fall away (Matt. 26:31)" from following Jesus, Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 322.

C. Nevertheless, with all of this sinful failure surrounding them and even some of it coming from within themselves, Jesus directed His disciples to "stop letting your heart be stirred up, disturbed" in John 14:1a.

D. His reason for this claim rose from the unmerited favor, the grace of the Father and Jesus, John 14:1b-6:

1. Jesus called His disciples to trust in the Father and in Himself, John 14:1b: the verb pisteuo for "believe" is written as pisteuete, the second person indicative or imperative moods (Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.; The Analyt. Grk. Lex., p. 326), but since the context shows Christ wanted His disciples to trust both in the Father and in Himself (John 14:7-9), we take pisteuete to be in the imperative mood, Ibid.

2. The Lord then announced that in His Father's house were many mone, that is, "rooms, abodes" (Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 529) or "stations" (A. Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, 1972, ii, p. 514), and that if this were not a fact, He would have told them as much, John 14:2a,b. [Incidentally, Jesus' John 14:2c statement totally counters the Liberal Theology belief that Jesus "accommodated" His disciples, telling them error to avoid disturbing them versus always giving the exact, hard truth!]

3. Then, Jesus promised that He was going to prepare a place for all of them (humin = second person plural; Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.), John 14:2c, and that if He was going to do that, He would return and receive them unto Himself, that where He Himself (ego) indefinitely (forever) existed (eimi, Ibid.; Ibid., The Analyt. Grk. Lex., p. 118), they also would indefinitely (forever) exist (ete, second person plural present subjunctive of eimi = "might be existing indefinitely, forever"; Ibid.; Ibid., The Analyt. Grk. Lex., p. 189), John 14:3. These words in the context of the Greek text give Christ's prediction of the rapture of the Church, and His promise of unconditional entrance into heaven for an eternal abode for each true disciple regardless of the sin that surrounds him in this life, or of his own sinful actions!

4. Jesus added that His disciples knew the way where He was going (John 14:4), but Thomas asked that since they did not know where He was going, how could they know the way (John 14:5), and Jesus replied, "I myself (ego; Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.) am (eimi, forever am being) the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes unto the Father except through Me," John 14:6. Thus, opposite all other beliefs to the contrary, there is only one way of salvation and eternal life in heaven with the Father -- by faith (John 14:1b) in Christ (John 14:6). However, Christ will take every true believer, regardless of the sin around or within him, taking him to heaven to live with God forever in the place Jesus has made just for him!

Lesson: Jesus taught that salvation is EXCLUSIVELY through FAITH in HIMSELF, but that ALL who are TRUE BELIEVERS in HIMSELF will HE TAKE in the RAPTURE to HEAVEN to LIVE ETERNALLY in the ABODE CHRIST has MADE FOR HIM, and that REGARDLESS of the SIN either AROUND or IN that believer!

Application: (1) May we trust in Jesus as Savior for eternal life, John 3:16. (2) May we rest in the hope that every true believer has unconditional salvation security and will be taken by Jesus to live forever with God in heaven!